For Julia Chan, the Royal Victoria Marathon (RVM) is much more than a gruelling run—it resonates with heartfelt remembrance and, at the same time, celebrates the power of personal determination.
Julia is running in memory of her grandmother, Marina, who passed away in 2017 after a brief battle with cancer. Marina was initially treated in the Patient Care Centre at Royal Jubilee Hospital, but when she learned her prognosis had irreversibly declined, she made the decision to live out her final days in her family’s home on Bear Mountain. With the help of Victoria Hospice’s Palliative Response Team, Marina’s final wishes were realized and she died, as she wanted, at home surrounded by family.
Running alongside Julia will be her dad, Sunny, who is Marina’s son. Together, they are running in Marina’s memory and to honour the Victoria Hospice Palliative Response Team who made Marina’s final journey a peaceful one.
Julia wasn’t always a runner. It was her husband who encouraged her to join him six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. “At first, I could only run for five minutes at a time,” she says. “But I kept at it, and now I’m running with my Dad. We just finished the TC 10K and I’m now working up to running the RVM Half Marathon with him in October. I think my Gramma would be so proud.”
The Royal Victoria Marathon take place on Sunday, October 11and, Victoria Hospice is one of the RVM charities of choice again this year. For more information or to support Julia and others running to support Victoria Hospice, visit our Events Page.